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Australian couples who have donated spare embryos to medical research after infertility treatment are having a say in how their embryos are used, says the head of a government committee.

This follows last week's go-ahead for licensed clinics to use spare human embryos for stem cell research or to improve in vitro fertilisation (IVF) techniques.

"Couples can choose the research their embryos are used for," said Professor Jock Findlay, chair of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Embryo Research Licensing Committee, which issued the licences.

After couples said their embryos were spare, Findlay said they first had a "cooling off period" before they decided what happened to those embryos.

Couples could then choose whether the embryos were used for IVF or stem cell research, used to train embryologists, donated to others undergoing IVF or "allowed to succumb", Findlay told ABC Science Online.

"A couple can say they don't really like the idea of their embryos being used for stem cells. Or they can say 'yes, I think that's a good idea, I'm prepared to do that'. In the end it's their decision," Findlay said.

If sperm and egg donors are involved, they and their partners have to consent to the research. Up to eight people could be involved in the consent process and it only takes one of them to say 'no', Findlay said.

"A good clinic will also inform them about what happens to their embryos, especially if [the research] relates to improving infertility techniques," he said.

In 2002, Australia legislated to regulate the use of spare human embryos from IVF clinics and to introduce a ban on human cloning.

Since then organisations have applied to the NHMRC for a licence to conduct research using these spare embryos, with the first of these issued last Friday to Sydney IVF and Melbourne IVF.

Licensed to research

Professor Robert Jansen, medical director at Sydney IVF, had four licence applications to use spare embryos for IVF and stem cell research approved last week.

He said the lab would contact couples about which of the four research areas they would be happy for their spare embryos to used.

As well as a licence to extract stem cells from spare embryos, the lab's licences cover research into finding a better growth medium to culture embryos and research into genetic testing of embryos.

Professor Alan Trounson, scientific director of Monash IVF in Melbourne, is awaiting the results of his application to use embryos for stem cell research.

"[Monash IVF] have been sourcing consent from their patients and obtaining advice about how they wanted their embryos utilised," Trounson said.

Dr Adrianne Pope, director of laboratory services at Monash IVF, is also awaiting the results of her application to use embryos for training embryologists.

She said having embryos to train them in pre-implantation diagnostic techniques would be "a godsend".

But she said there were concerns among couples at Monash IVF about the consent process.

"We've got a lot of angry patients saying the process is taking too long and that it is affecting them," Pope told ABC Science Online

A lot of people wanted to donate their embryos for both research and training, Pope said.